Sixteen student-athletes took home seventeen awards at the annual Athletic Awards Banquet. It is the final formal dinner before commencement week and a time to celebrate athletic achievement and personal improvement. Each coach presented an award to a player of their choosing from their team and shared some remarks about what it is about the athlete that earned them their award.
The award winners with the plaques.
In preparation for the event, Athletic Director Mr. Gino Riffle sent this message to all the coaches. It describes the qualities of each athlete that merit the award. Essentially, these are the qualifications:
“For our competitive team sports, the coach’s award is given to the athlete that is characterized by the notion that there is no “I” in team. Both on and off the field, rink, hill, etc., they lead by example. They are the consummate team player who goes above and beyond to make a difference for their team. Their leadership, ability to communicate with teammates and coaches are critical to the team’s success.
For our non-competitive team sports, the coach’s award is given to the athlete that best demonstrates, throughout their season, the true spirit of the sport. It is not only given for hard work and personal improvement, but for a willingness to understand and learn in an effort to achieve one’s potential in that sport.“
Before the presentation of the awards commenced, Mr. Riffle addressed the school, highlighting some of the greatest accomplishments of the 2016-2017 school year. Riffle’s opening words could not have been more accurate: “This season has been one of many successes from both individuals and team performances.”
He went on to highlight the Girl’s Hockey Team’s best record in school history, the special inaugural Boys 16u hockey season, the Junior Team’s stunning win over Shattuck at the Northwood Tournament and their totaling of 80 wins over the past two seasons, the Prep Team’s victory over an all-PG Bridgton Academy Team, the Alpine ski program’s success, especially Sarah Bennett ‘19, Mathieu Cote ‘18, Alex Akoundi ‘17, and Kimmy Ellis ‘17, as well as the unsung successes of the outdoor program and the robotics team.
Following are the award winners, their respective sports and coaches:
| Winner | Sport | Coach |
| Sarah Bennett ’19 | Alpine Skiing | Daigneault |
| Max Stransky ’17 | Free Style | Doan |
| Amanda Hinge ’17 | David Phelps/Kimball | Daigneault |
| Simon Ou ’19 | Crew | H. Runyon |
| Yoshi Levey ‘19 | Rock Climbing | Mellor |
| Nick Ormon ‘17 | Jr. Hockey | Cassidy |
| JP Montmarquette ‘17 | Prep Hockey | Silengo |
| Stephen Panico ‘19 | Boys 16u Hockey | Gilligan |
| Hannah Rose ‘18 | Girls Hockey | Schoedel |
| Tristan Baldauf ‘17 | Whitewater | Nemec/Roy |
| Sara Donatello ;18 | Girls Lacrosse | Riffle |
| Kaden Pickering ‘17 | Boys Lacrosse | Welsh |
| Barrett Ott ‘19 | Ted Boardman | Haggerty |
| Palmer Feinberg ‘17 | Golf | Silengo |
| Kip Morgan ‘20 | Intramurals | Dingle/Portal/Weaver |
| Aiden Smith ‘19 | Mountain Biking | Daigneault |
| Palmer Feinberg ‘17 | Robotics | Martin |
Congratulations to all of the athletes honored, and to all of the coaches on their tremendous seasons.
The rock climbing program led by Mr. Mellor will also undergo much change. It will become more of a “Northwood Outing Club,” according to Mr. Riffle. Next year, it will include more trips and more of an Adirondack experience than just a few hours of rock climbing each day. The final steps of this program are still being worked out with Mr. Mellor in charge. Mr. Riffle is optimistic about the changes. “We always look at ways to add programs that we should have that we currently don’t and enhance the ones we do have but have not been as successful as they could be,” he said. The Northwood Outing Club existed in the past and focused on hiking and camping expeditions. Mr. Mellor was a member when he was a Northwood student.
